Transitory Solace
by MorsDelecti
Summary: At first, it seems like a typical High School day, but as things start to take a turn for the strange, Melinda's mother becomes increasingly suspicious as a certain figure starts to haunt her daughter's dreams, each time bringing with him a greater risk..
1. High School Troubles

**A/N Ok, I'm new to this whole uploading thing so this story might not be very good, I just wanted to see what people might think of one of my furthest going Fan-Fics, and perhaps if it goes well I'll put up some more...The storyline isn't the best I know, but I do these sorta things on the spur of the moment so please RaR to tell me what you think ^_^**

'Ha-ha! Try living down there where you belong, freak!' One of the groupie's from Rebecca's little posse yelled as they slammed the weighted metal door shut. Panic arose in Melinda's throat as she heard the heavy bolt sliding on the outside. She pounded on the inner side of the door as she heard them sniggering in their own twisted merriment.

'What are you doing? Let me out!' Slight fear escalated the volume of her voice, but she hoped they would just take it as anger instead.

'Now why would we do something like that?' Rebecca's sly, condescending voice slipped through the crowd.

'Please just stop!' Melinda cried out again. What was with them? Why did they enjoy ruining her life so often? It was like their own personal fulfilment.

'No can do, sorry,' she laid the last word down with thick sarcasm. Melinda refused to back down from them, refused to give them the compliance they wanted. It was as she was pounding on the door again that she heard the footsteps approaching down from the hall, swiftly followed by the stern voice of Mr Sentry, her Biology class teacher. The very class she had come from before Rebecca had ganged up on her like this. She pounded harder, feeling her hands begin to hurt as she felt a kick through the other side of the door, rattling it so hard she recoiled from it.

'What are you girls up to?' Mr Sentry seemed to ask.

'Nothing sir, we were just leaving for practise,' One of the girls, Lauren, piped up, using a fake, innocent tone.

'Good, now, hurry along before your coach wonders where you are,' He said. He seemed oblivious to Melinda's yelling from the other side of the dark room. She was aware that there was no source of light currently on in the room but she was more focused on getting out than worrying about a light switch.

She heard the patter of their feet as they went off to the gymnasium, Mr Sentry left in the opposite direction. Melinda listened intently for a moment, listening for any flicker of a sound that would give away the fact that someone was approaching. But no-one was. So she began to feel around for a light switch now, then hopefully she would find some way of opening the door from this side. She branched further and further away from the door slowly, carefully still reaching out for any source of light that was available. Her fingertips brushed the edge of a torch handle, just out of reach. _Just a little closer…_She told herself in the darkness.

As she edged just that much more, she felt her foot slip from underneath her. As she tumbled through the darkness, having no idea where or when it would end, she heard a dull thunk as her foot hit the floor first, twisting at an awkward angle as the rest of her followed. As she finally hit the ground to a halt, she felt something sharp tear into her arm with agonizing pain. She felt tears sting her eyes. She had no idea how far down she was. She couldn't see anything around her. And she had no idea how long it would be until someone found her down here. Any flicker of hope in her mind was flickering into darkness with every tear that slipped down her face. She shivered in the cold, hostile area, trying to silently console herself in the dark...


	2. A Little Help From A Friend

'Hey, what are you doing down here?' An unfamiliar voice whispered, breaking her from her silent reverie. When she didn't reply, the male voice pried again. 'Hello? Can you hear me?'

'Yes, I can hear you…Want to get me into more trouble or something?' Melinda mumbled.

'Hey, why would I wanna do that, you're the first person I've seen in 4 years. Say, let's make a deal, if I help you out of here, will you help me with somethin'?' The boy asked.

'How do you expect do get me out of here…' She muttered.

'Like I said, I've been here for four years,' He shrugged. 'I'll be right back.' Melinda couldn't see the boy, the room was too dark to even see her own hand in front of her face, but from the sound of his voice, he didn't sound too old, just around about 10 or 11 years old.

Melinda sat still on the cold floor, her head had risen from her knees, but she looked at nothing in particular. She heard footsteps falling above. At first she thought it might have been the boy, but the voice that called out changed her mind. He sounded older, about her own age, perhaps one year older than herself.

'Who left the bolt on the door? It should be open for the baseball supplies, ah well,' the older boy sighed. Melinda swore she recognised his voice. _Jim…?_ The named crept into her mind. _Jim Clancy…?_ Well, whoever it was, she took her chances as she heard the bolt slide open.

'Hello? I'm down here!' She called out, as loud as she could, realizing her voice was slightly hoarse from her crying. 'Please!' She yelled.

'Where are you?' He asked, flicking on the torch she had tried so desperately to reach previously.

'I'm here!' She called out, hearing his footfalls cautiously on the wooden steps.

Jim shined the torch around, searching, shrugging his jacket higher on his shoulders. It was cold down here. After a few minutes of searching, his torch light illuminated Melinda's huddled form. Running over, he knelt by her side.

'Are you alright? What are you doing down here?' He asked.

'I just slipped, that's all,' Melinda replied. It was only half the truth, but that was all she wanted to give. Jim offered her his hand, and she took it with gratitude as he helped her up off the cold stone floor.

With Jim's help she managed to get back up the staircase, grateful for the fact she was wearing a darkly coloured jacket over her white top. She didn't want him to fuss over her. As they arrived from out of the darkened room, Melinda waited for her eyes to adjust to the light.

'Are you sure you're alright? You look like you're in a bit of pain…' He asked concern arousing.

'I'm ok; I better head home though before my mom starts to worry…' She replied, sighing with relief that time had passed too slowly for her mom to notice her absence.

'If you're sure…' Jim seemed unconvinced.

'I'm sure,' Melinda said, starting to walk away from him before he could notice anything else.


	3. Blood, Glass and Tears

**A/N Seriously, I know this chapter is rediculously short, but I loved the idea of ending the chapter on that note, or that line rather, so I hope you don't mind it, there are more chapters to come ^_^**

Her ankle flared with pain the whole walk home, just as much as her arm. She had tried to put off limping but her attempt didn't last long as she limped almost the whole way home, grateful for the lack of people to see her.

She knocked on the door, regretting that she had forgotten her key today of all days. After a minute or two, her Mom opened the door swiftly, glancing her up and down. Melinda braced herself against the pain, looking as natural as she possibly could under the strain.

'Are you alright?' She asked as she let her daughter in.

'I'm fine, mom.' Melinda said bluntly. She hated all the lying, but there was nothing else she could do. If her mom saw the state she was really in, she would surely demand an explanation, and if that explanation did follow, she was likely to turn the whole situation back around and blame her.

Melinda sped past her and went upstairs, straight into the bathroom. She slipped off her jacket carefully, slipping it into the wash basket and bracing herself for the worst. She saw the small figments of glass cutting into her arm deeply. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to take them out gently. Blood dripped in the sink, along with the pieces of glass.


	4. In Another Life,In Another Time

**A/N I know my chapters are really short, but in a way it makes it easier to both draw them out and keep track of where I am, I hope that's ok, anyways, hope you like what's happening so far, please let me know what you think **

Every so often, Melinda ran the tap in the sink, washing away the blood and glass before any of it could remain evident. Each time, she left it running just that much longer, so that she could cry and the water would wash it away. Her mother's voice drifted up from the bottom of the staircase.

'Melinda? Andrea's on the phone!'

'I'm busy, mom!' Melinda called back, hoping her voice didn't sound as cracked as it felt. 'Tell her she can call again later!' She didn't want to deny her friend, but she couldn't cope with anything right now. Plus, if Andrea heard her on the phone like this, she would instantly know something was wrong.

She grabbed a towel from the rack and chucked it into the wash basket, hiding the stained and ripped jacket underneath. Then she grabbed a roll of tissue and wound some around her arm as tightly as possible. She knew that it wouldn't help much, but it was all she had.

She headed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her firmly, hoping she'd done enough cleaning up in there to make sure her mom wouldn't suspect anything.

Slipping into her bedroom quietly, she walked over to her CD selection, and picked a track out at random, sliding it into the CD player and turning up the volume to drown out any unwanted noise.

She laid herself on her bed, singing along with 'In Another Time.' She enjoyed singing to herself; it passed time in a way she could manage. It helped her push past the pain in her arm as she recited each line. _In Another Life, In Another Place…_ She wished right now that she could be. _In Another World, In Another Time…_ She gazed over at the photos placed about her room and sighed.

Hours Passed just like the tracks that she played and sang along to. Turning off the CD player and the main bedroom light, Melina slipped into bed with a book and read by her bedside lamp. Soon enough, she drifted off to sleep with the book open in her lap. But as her dream started off peaceful, its serenity didn't last long…


	5. Fever Dream

**A/N Another short chapter I know, but I kinda felt like a chapter dedicated just to her dream fit so as not to be too confusing switching from her Point of View and her Mother's**

_Melinda was standing in a field of wilting flowers, littered with bodies of the dead. She gazed around in horror. Then her eyes widened as she watched a small boy of about 10 running towards her._

'_Help Me!' He yelled as he ran. 'You said you would help me if I helped you!' Then she realized, it was the same boy from earlier that day. When she was in that dark room. The boy ran closer, almost reaching her. But he stopped abruptly as a cold breeze blew across the dead field. _

'_No! Please! Don't let him take me! He'll kill me! Please! I'm begging you! Help Me!' The boy cried, sobbing harder and harder._

'_Who's after you?' Melinda asked the small boy. But her question was answered swiftly as a dark figure arose from the darkness, clutching the back of the boy's throat._

'_Thought you could escape? Foolish brat!' The man threw him to the ground, making the boy cry out in pain as he collided against the ground._

'_What are you doing? Stop hurting him!' Melinda yelled, and the man looked up at her. At once, she knew she had made a mistake in disturbing him. His hostile crimson eyes pierced into hers._

_He lifted his hand in a simple gesture and the whole field set alight, bodies of the dead burning fiercely. She felt like she couldn't breathe with the heat of the fires that he set alight. He seemed unharmed in any way by the flames as they licked at his feet like glowing snakes of ember. _

_She tried to move, to run, to escape. But her body seemed to stay in one place, transfixed by the look of his crimson eyes as the fires slithered around her…_


	6. A Mother's Concern

**A/N Another shortish chapter, but things are getting stranger from here on out, you might not think so, but imagine it from her mother's point of view.**

Beth leaned over the sink, washing her hands effortlessly as she looked at herself in the mirror. She reached for soap, but her hand grasped thin air. She sighed, knowing she'd just have to get some more in the morning.

She looked down at the place it usually resided beside the sink and her eyes widened. Blood. Why was there blood? Thoughts ran through her mind, including Melinda's odd behaviour in the afternoon. She turned off the tap quietly and headed out of the bathroom.

She knocked on her daughter's bedroom door. She was surprised to find no response; it was unusual for her to be in bed so early. She knocked again. Again with no reply.

She pushed open the door quietly and walked over to her daughter's bedside. The table lamp was still on and the open book was still splayed on the bed, several pages bent and dented from her restless sleep.

'Melinda? Come on, wake up…' Beth said as she sat on the edge of her daughter's bed. Her eyes filled with concern as she noticed her pale complexion, almost as white as the sheets she was laying on.

'Mel? Honey?' She asked again, feeling her daughter's forehead. The heat alone nearly seared her palm, causing her concern to escalate. She shuffled on the bed uncomfortably as she heard her daughter groan, shifting her arm.

Beth looked down at Melinda's arm as she shifted, it was bandaged foolhardily with tissue, stained a deep reddened colour.

'Melinda, are you alright?' She gingerly touched the red tissue, pulling back from how wet it was. Whatever had happened to her arm, it was still bleeding profusely.

'Melinda, honey, I need you to wake up for me…' Beth whispered gently, she needed to get her to the hospital and get things straightened out before they turned for the worse. Gently shaking her daughter's shoulder, she waited for a response, refusing to let the fear in the back of her mind get any stronger.

Beth sat back, and was about to give up to let her sleep a little longer when Melinda bolted upright in bed, clutching her arm in pain, a light sheen of sweat covering her forehead as she trembled violently. 'Melinda? Calm down, everything's ok, you just had a nightmare…' Beth tried to reassure her as she watched Melinda cringe and recoil, her breathing short and fast…


	7. Hospital, Now

**A/N Yep, another longer one than usual, but this is where it gets wierder and a little less sane, it's hard to explain, but you'll see. Hope you are enjoying it so far, even if not I appriciate you reading it anyways ^_^**

A few more minutes of reassurance and Melinda's breathing began to slow from its hyperventilated state and regain it's usual pace. Her trembling lessened but it didn't cease as Beth insisted that her daughter should lie back down.

Melinda complied with her mother's insistence, feeling too weak to argue. She hadn't spoken a word, yet she didn't feel as if she had the strength to. Her whole inside felt as if it were burning, but she didn't want to worry her mom, so she tried her best to mask her discomfort, passing off any extra flinch of pain as if it was just because of her arm.

Her arm. Looking down at the reddened tissue wrapped around it tightly, the fresh droplets on the bed sheets glowering in the bedside lamplight, and she saw it hadn't stopped bleeding yet.

'Melinda, what happened to your arm?' Her mom asked as she returned to her bedside with a glass of cold water, a thermometer and a wet flannel.

'I tripped…that's all…' Melinda replied, trying not to speak too much for fear of giving herself away. Beth placed the thermometer in her daughter's mouth, despite how much she insisted there was no need, and waited with agitation for the reading to finish. She removed the thermometer and read the temperature carefully.

'104.9…Melinda, we need to get you to the hospital…' Beth stated firmly.

'Mom…I'm fine…' Melinda whined.

'Don't tell me you're fine when you're lying in bed with a bleeding forearm and a spiking fever young lady!' Melinda lifted off the covers and moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

'I'm not lying in bed, I'm ok.' Melinda stated, standing up, trying to ignore the room as it span around her. She walked slowly to the bedroom doorframe. Her mom got up and followed behind her, the cold wet flannel in her hand.

'Hospital, now.' She demanded flatly.

'Mom…' Melinda began, before she doubled over, groaning in pain as she leaned against the door frame. 'You…might be right…urgh…' She clutched at her side as she felt her insides burn as if each were set on fire in turn.

'Come on; let's get you to the car…' Beth said, her voice more comforting, with more sympathy. It was clear her daughter was in pain and she didn't like to dwell on it.


	8. Weakness

**A/N Another longish one, another strange/painful chapter. I'm so mean...I love inflicting pain on characters...**

Melinda took the cool flannel from her mother's hand and held it against her forehead. It didn't make an inch of difference to the heat she was feeling, but she was grateful for the thought as her mom slung her injured arm around her neck and they descended the stairs together carefully.

Beth could feel the weakness in her limbs and, although she wouldn't admit it aloud, it scared her greatly. She cared for her daughter, just like any mother would, and her great concern for her daughter's well-being only escalated the fear of losing her.

She opened the side car door and helped her gently into the seat. She would've used the back seats but they were down and she didn't want to waste any more time setting them up. Beth slid around to the driver's side and climbed into the seat, starting the car.

She checked the rear-view mirror quickly, and then glanced at Melinda beside her. She had drifted into some sort of semi-conscious sleep. Her head lolled from side to side; sweat trickling down her face as she murmured things to quiet for Beth to hear.

'Just hold on, ok Mel? You're gonna be ok,' Beth tried to reassure her, not even sure if her daughter was even conscious enough to be aware of her voice. She carried on down several roads in silence, driving just a little faster than normal. Beth would've liked to have gone faster, but she had to be careful on the roads, it was still pretty early so there were quite a few people about.

She checked her watch for the time, just as she heard Melinda scream in pain. She glanced over in fear at the sound of her daughter's voice.

'Shh, it's gonna be ok, we're almost there, just a little longer…' Beth tried to comfort her again, as they reached the hospital car pack. She swerved the car to a halt and was out and by her daughter's side in no time.

'Honey, I need you to wake up for me…Just so we can get you in there…OK, come on…' She whispered as she watched her daughter's eyes flutter open. She helped her out of the car and held her arm around her neck again, her other arm supporting Melinda's waist.

'…Mom…' Melinda murmured, almost incoherently.

'It's ok, don't worry,' Beth replied as she guided her through the doors. 'Just sit down for a second, I'll go and get some help…' Melinda's arm had stopped bleeding for a while, but she was still pale and weak. Beth walked over to the nearest desk, just a few steps away and tapped on the counter to get attention.


	9. Inferno on the Inside

**A/N Ok, this one is really strange, but I think I might keep Conner involved more in this story, I like him ^_^**

'Excuse me, my daughter is extremely sick, she needs a doctor right away.'

'I'm sorry but all the doctors are currently busy, if you would just take a seat and I'll page someone for you as soon as possible.' The young girl said in a studious tone. Beth slammed her fist on the counter.

'No, you don't understand, she needs someone immediately!'

'Well, I'm sorry ma'am but there's nothing I can do right at this moment in time until one of the doctor's is free.' The girl replied, unfazed by her behaviour. 'Please, take a seat.' She repeated.

'Just hurry,' she demanded as she went to sit by Melinda again. 'It's gonna be alright honey; someone will be here as soon as possible…'

'…Mom…' Melinda repeated again, standing up slowly. 'I'm…really scared…'

'I know honey, I know…' Beth assured her, standing beside her.

'No…you don't…' Suddenly she screamed in pain again, closing her eyes tightly as she collapsed to the floor.

'Melinda! Melinda, look at me!' Her mom whispered as she crouched beside her on the floor, gripping her arm as tightly as she could. Melinda continued to scream in agony as she convulsed on the floor.

'Help! Somebody help me! Please!' Beth yelled. She had never been so scared in her life as she watched her daughter writhe on the floor in pain. She had no idea what was going on, she felt completely helpless.

'Anybody! Please! She needs help!' She yelled again, as loud as she could this time, her throat almost breaking with the strain. A doctor, who had just left one of the patients rooms heard her yells, followed by the screams of pain and ran to see what was going on.

'What happened?' He asked as he saw the girl convulsing on the floor, blood dripping from her arm.

'I…I'm not sure…She just collapsed…' Beth stuttered. 'I don't know what's going on…You have to help her…Please…I'm begging you…' Beth pleaded to him.

'Conner! Shaun! I need you over here, stat!' The doctor called over to two men, one was shorter, his dark hair cut roughly at the bottom, whilst his taller companion had lighter brown hair, almost a tinge of red, tied back in a ponytail away from his face. They walked down the hall, a gurney between them as they came.

As the two young men lifted her onto the bed, the doctor checked her pulse. Her convulsions were becoming less profound than before, but she was gradually losing consciousness.


	10. Delirious

'Pulse is weak, faint, and hard to tell… We have to stop the bleeding; she's already lost too much blood.'

'Doctor, she's already losing consciousness…' The dark-haired man stated.

'Alright, Conner, try to keep her awake as much as possible, Shaun go and prepare the ER' the darker haired man, Shaun nodded and hurried down the hall. Whilst the other, Conner, remained with Melinda. He stroked the hair from her face carefully and spoke to her with a gentle tone.

'I'm gonna need you to stay awake for me ok? I know it's hard but I need you to trust me, just keep trying alright.'

'Excuse me, could you tell me your name?' The doctor asked, driving Beth's attention away from her daughter for a second.

'Gordon, Beth Gordon.'

'Alright, Ms. Gordon, and you say your daughter just fell, no warning? Nothing?

'One minute she was standing, telling me she was scared, and the next, she had collapsed…'

'Has she been sick at all today that you know of?'

'Not that I know…She's just been feeling really weak, and has a fever…'

'Can you tell me anything?' Conner asked soothingly, his cool hand feeling warm to her. 'Your name? Any pets? Your birthday?'

'He's…he's coming…for me…he's trying…to kill…me…don't…let him…find me…'

'Who? Who's coming?' Conner asked.

'Hurts…Fire…All dead…can see…them following…screaming…gotta…help them…' She murmured, lolling her head again.

'Sir, I think she's delirious, she might be going into shock…' Conner stated to the doctor beside him. The doctor went to Melinda's side.

'Hmm, pupils are unequal and unresponsive… Miss Gordon, I need you to focus for me, try to remain focused.'

'It's no use, she's lost way too much blood' Conner replied. Conner felt her hand fall limp in his as she finally fell unconscious.

'I'll take it from here Conner, please keep Ms. Gordon company until we can notify you any further if anything happens.' The doctor said as he disappeared into ER whilst Conner remained behind with Beth. She placed a hand to her head and sighed, restraining herself from crying as Conner led her to the nearest chair and sat her down.


	11. Sisterly Semblance

**A/N Sorry it's been a bit before I posted again, but I couldn't think of how to continue this story so i had to ask for advice from my friend and she really helped ^_^ Especially later on where the story starts to get kinda sappy, yeah, warning it does get sappy soon cuz as much as I'm rubbish at writing romance I thought I might have a go. Plus thanks to this story it's clicked another into place, I might write it as a sequel to the story. I know it's gonna be odd and gonna not seem right but hey, everyone has some forgotten secrets/stories. Anyways, I know i'm rambling and you proberly just wanna read the story so sorry for bothering you, thanks for the reviews so far guys, its really boosted my confidence with this story, please continue to let me know what you think ^_^Lastly, I do not own ghost whisperer or any of the characters or anything except Dr. , Shaun Beick and Conner Dane of course, Enjoy  
**

'Hey, everything's gonna be alright, I know Dr. Grogan, almost like a father, your daughter's in the best care here, so don't worry.' Conner said calmly. She looked at his light green eyes that reflected the hope she desperately wanted to feel and felt obliged to open up to him. Despite his age, he seemed like such a young, nice guy.

'I just feel like I should've done more…Or I shouldn't have even pushed her to come here in the first place…'

'Hey, you did what you had to do 'cuz you felt that your daughter needed help right? That's more than anyone could ask for… You've just gotta have trust in Dr. Grogan and that everything will be alright…' Conner reassured her.

'How old are you?'

'17, I'm in training medical school, I know I'm kinda young for it but…' Conner replied, seemingly embarrassed as he shrugged.

'You know, if you don't become a doctor, you could always become a therapist, you'd be good at it…' Beth told him, only half-joking.

'My sis used to tell me that…' Conner replied as he looked down. Then he looked back up with a small smile. 'Guess she wasn't just being bias, huh?'

The next half-hour passed by painfully slowly for Beth, thoughts span through her mind and emotions were soon tossed in also to the whirlpool her mind was becoming. Conner had stayed with her for a while to keep her company and he'd offered to buy her a coffee. A few minutes later he had returned, and Beth was grateful for his compassion.

It felt like an eternity before Dr. Grogan appeared before them.

'Melinda, is she alright?' Beth asked, getting to her feet as soon as she saw him.

'You're daughter is going to be fine Miss Gordon, we managed to stop the bleeding and she's currently sleeping it off. All she needs to do now is to rest and recover.' Dr. Grogan said, much to Beth's relief.

'Umm…Sorry about my shift sir…I was keeping her company and lost track of time and…' Conner admitted.

'It's quite alright Conner, you deserve a break anyway, you've been working so hard.' Dr. Grogan admitted, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. 'I'm proud of you, and I'm sure your sister would be too, take the rest of the night off for once.' He offered, smiling at Conner.

Conner looked at Dr. Grogan with pleased gratitude as he bade farewell and he accompanied Beth to her daughter's room. Beth walked through the doors and sat by Melinda's bedside. She looked so vulnerable in the large bed. There was a tightly woven bandage around her arm protecting the stitches underneath.

As Conner walked in, he almost fell to his knees right in the doorway. His eyes shined with unshed tears. As much as he tried to blink them away, Beth noticed.

'What is it?' Beth asked, stunned by his odd reaction.

'S…she…looks so much…like my sister…it's as if she's right here in front of me again…' Conner stuttered. He was concentrating too much earlier to notice the uncanny resemblance, but now as he watched her sleeping form in peace, he realized just how similar they were. He sat down beside the bed, a sudden surge of enthusiasm to make sure she would get better.


	12. When Love and Death Embrace

**A/N I'm so sorry it's been so long since I last updated this but I'm also writing another fan-fic atm and I'm having a little trouble trying to think of how to continue this one right now. A heavy writer's block you could say, that I havn't been able to get rid of. Ah well, I'll see how it goes. Anyways, sappiness kinda starts in this chapter, I don't blame if you find it kinda boring ^_^ Yeah, I'm thinking of forming a relationship between Conner and Melinda but please notify me if you have any doubts or don't think it's a good idea. Suggestions/ideas are totally welcome(and helpful) and credit will definately go to those who help. Umm...anything else...I don't think so, just that after this chapter/next one it may be another while before I post any updates, just a prior warning. Hope you enjoy the fic!**

A few hours passed by slowly, and Melinda still hadn't woken up. Beth rested her head on her arm on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. Conner could see how exhausted she seemed to be, almost falling asleep right then and there.

'Hey, you're exhausted, why don't you go home, get some rest and we'll call you if anything changes…' Conner offered.

'But what about…?' Beth began.

'Don't worry about it, I'll stay here and keep an eye on her for you, like I said, I'll call you if I notice anything,' Conner replied before waiting for her to finish. Beth opened her mouth to speak, but as she saw the promise and determination in his green eyes, she closed it again without a sound.

'Promise to look after her,' Beth demanded after several moments of silence, the weariness in her tone slipping through, surprising herself at how tired she was.

'I promise,' Conner replied solemnly. Beth left the room quietly, closing the door behind her and heading home for the night, hoping that leaving her daughter in his hands was the right thing to do. Conner decided to close his eyes, just for a while. He needed some sleep after working from 6 in the morning to whatever the time was now. He leaned his arms on the bed, careful not to disturb Melinda and placed his head against his arms, letting his eyes slip closed.

Conner didn't know how long he'd actually been asleep, but he was jerked out of any deep slumber as he heard the ear-splitting scream. He jumped up from his previous position on the bed. Instantly he grew concerned as he saw Melinda curled up as tightly as possible as far against the wall as the bed would allow.

He looked over at her pallid face, her hazel eyes shining with absolute horror and fear. Before he even could comprehend what he was doing, he instinctively edged nearer to her and placed a gentle hand on Melinda's shoulder. As he came closer, he could see tears running from her eyes, cascading down her face.

'Hey, Shh, come on, it's ok…' Conner whispered to her, wiping a tear from her cheek with the back of his forefinger. 'You're alright, you're safe now,' Conner continued to tell her, his voice calming her gently. Slowly, he wrapped her arms around her trembling form, like he used to do for his sister whenever she was scared. He pulled her toward him in a serene embrace, anxious as to whether she would suddenly pull away from him, intimidated by his sudden actions.

But to his silent surprise, she didn't. Instead, she turned closer to him and let herself collapse against him. Enclosing her own arms around him, Melinda clung to him feeling his soft, steady breaths as she cried. He brushed a lock of her hair away from her tear-stained face gently, letting her find comfort in him, and he stayed like that with her until the last of her tears dried on her skin.


	13. More Than Friends?

**A/N ok, first things first, i HAVE to apologize for not updating in 10 MONTHS!!! 2009 has been quite a big year for me, so it was easy to get lost along the way and get carried away with other things espcially seeing as my muse of this story has disappeared, but still...really sorry guys ^^ Honestly wasn't sure if anyone out there still read this thing... Anyhoo, this piece probably sucks, and I can understand why if it does, but please R&R, just to let me know what you think at least...Sorry again...**

**Disclaimer; Don't own it...probably never will...*sob*  
**

'So…are you feeling any better…?' Conner asked quietly as Melinda leaned against his chest. He felt her nod softly against him. 'Want to tell me what happened? What made you so scared?' Conner asked, empathy in his tone, lapsed with sympathy. Melinda wanted to open up to him. Wanted to pour her heart out to him. Wanted so badly to reveal every secret. Wanted so badly to remain in his arms forever as she told him everything. But a secret small part of her refused, forced her against it. How could she tell him everything? Especially the secret about her 'gift'? He'd think she was a total freak! If she did ever tell him the truth, he'd properly think she really was delirious! Permanently! _But still…_ She told herself. _He seems like such a nice guy…_ Conner noticed her hesitance. 'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, it's ok, really, I understand,' he replied.

'You do…?' Melinda asked, speaking for the first time since she'd fallen unconscious so many hours ago.

'Yeah, whenever my little sister got scared, she'd find it hard to talk about what happened for a while, sometimes I'd never really find out, but as long as she was ok, I was ok with it,' Conner replied, with a small half-smile. 'So don't worry about it.' Conner slipped his arms back from around Melinda and started to stand up.

'What are you doing?' Melinda asked, hoping that her voice didn't sound as fearful as she felt it did.

'I promised your mom I'd ring her if anything changed, so I guess I better keep my word,' Conner told her, making his way to the door.

'Umm…' Melinda couldn't help but ask the question in her mind. 'You are coming back right…?' She hoped, again, that her voice didn't sound as over-enthusiastic as it felt.

Conner stopped at the door, turning back to face her, his face thoughtful for a second, before it broke into a smile. 'Sure, I can if you want,' he replied.

Melinda returned his smile with earnest. 'Thanks,' she breathed with certain relief. She watched the young man walk from the room, his light- brown hair a little muffled from his own sleep that she felt guilty for disturbing him from. To have him there for the past few hours felt like a complete miracle to her. If his slender voice hadn't drifted to her so calmly, his tender touch hadn't caressed her so carefully; she would've surely torn herself apart. Just the fear that threatened to overwhelm her alone was enough to make her feel like death was just a welcome invitation.

Melinda sat up in the bed, her arm feeling rather numb but she ignored it most of the time. She back up against the far side and felt herself lapsing into a silent daydream filled with questions she was unable to answer.

_How come he's so affectionate towards me? I hardly know him…But I feel like I can tell him everything…So, what do I tell him? What if he asks again, what am I supposed to say? Why do I feel like there's no-one else around in the universe when he's with me? Why do I feel the need to rely on him so, as if I'd fall apart without him? Does this mean I like him more than I realize…? Does this mean…_


	14. Families

**A/N I felt so bad about not updating, I thought I'd load another chapter or two...**

**Disclaimer; Don't Own Any Of It  
**

'Well, you look better,' a voice snapped her back into reality. Instantly she recognised the voice of the little boy that had helped her before. 'How you feeling?' He asked as he hopped onto the edge of the bed.

'A little better, what are you doing here?' Melinda asked, finally able to see the boy in the light. His hair was curled in random places on his head, a blonde colour, almost on the verge of golden straw. His eyes sparkled a dazzling blue in the light as he looked at her.

'It's your turn, to return the favour,' He replied. 'I helped you, you gotta help me now.'

'Well, can you at least tell me your name?' Melinda asked, feeling relief that as she concentrated on other things her mind seemed to shy away from her recurring nightmare.

'Michael and you're Melinda right?' He asked with a smile.

'That's right, so what do you need help with?'

'Well…' He looked down. 'My parent kinda split when I died…and I know it's my fault, so I don't want them to blame themselves instead…Do you think you could…you know…talk to them for me?' Melinda smiled at Michael gently; he seemed like such a sweet kid. Suddenly Melinda saw fear in his eyes.

'What's wrong?' She asked.

'Please, talk to them, before he kills me…'

'Before who kills you?' But it was too late; Michael had already vanished from sight. _How exactly do you kill a ghost anyway? They're already dead…_She wondered. 'Michael!' She called. 'Can't you at least tell me who you're parents are…' She sighed, asking no-one and nothing in particular.

'Who were you talking to?' Conner's voice floated through the room like silk as she looked up to see him standing in the doorway.

'How long were you standing there?'

'Long enough,' he laughed, walking over to her. 'So, what was all that about?'

_Oh great…Way to go…Show him you're a nutcase…_She thought sarcastically. He sat down beside her, looking into her eyes. For a moment, she felt drawn to stay there in that position for eternity, but she forced herself to look away.

'Well?' He asked, stroking her hand, as if trying to get her to answer faster.

_Well here goes nothing…_ She thought, closing her eyes, readying herself for what was going to happen next.

'I can see spirits…Talk to them to…Go ahead, say I'm a freak, run away, do whatever it is you're going to do…' She looked down, her eyes still closed surprised by how fast it all came tumbling out.

'You…can talk to the dead…?' Conner asked, surprise in his tone. Melinda nodded, waiting for the teasing to come next. But to her surprise, he didn't run as she had expected, instead he slipped his hand into hers. 'You…are not a freak…You, are amazing…' He whispered. Melinda looked up in shock, opening her eyes to see if it was all really happening. 'You're not lying?' He asked.

'No, no I'm not…' She said in gentle reply. Melinda gazed past his shoulder to see a figure standing behind him. She looked about 15 years of age, long dark brown hair cascaded down past her shoulders, down her back. Her hazel eyes glistened as she smiled.

'Who are you?' She asked. The girl looked over at Melinda, her eyes revealing relief and gratitude towards her.

'What is it?' Conner asked.

'There's…' _I can't believe I'm telling him this stuff as if it's normal_ 'A ghost attached to you…'


	15. Big Brother

**A/N And here is where I hit a block, physically and inspirationally cuz One. I'm not sure where I go from here yet, Two. life is just ready to pounce in the way once again like a cat that won't ever leave me alone for one second cuz I have to pet it. Forgive me for not updating, and forgive me if I do not do so again for a while, but again, it is likely there is to be another period of time where I won't update for a while...**

**Disclaimer; Don't Own it, so don't sue me, or i will be very upset, and so will the kitteh of life. Kitteh of Life is not nice when she's upset, i know from experience  
**

'She has long brown hair, and hazel eyes, about 15…' Conner looked startled as she explained what he thought impossible.

'You did it big brother, you found your someone special, I told you so,' the girl laughed, its sound was beautiful, almost like a song in it's self.

'Big brother…?' Melinda asked, confused.

'What…what's her name?' Conner asked. Melinda looked from him back to the girl.

'Tell him Christine says I told you so, you won't find this again, So take the cub by the hand and hold it tight, teach it, hug it, love it with all your might,' she laughed again at her little recited poem.

'Umm…Her name's Christine…' Melinda told him, absent-mindedly holding his hand tighter. Conner looked up at Melinda with compassion in his eyes.

'Christine…My little sister…You can see my little sister?' He asked, Melinda nodded.

'She told me, to tell you she says _So take the cub by the paw and hold it tight, teach it, hug it, love it with all you're might…_Does that make any sense to you?' She asked.

'Whenever she felt down I always used to sing that to her…'

'She said do you remember the day she hurt her ankle in the park running after birds?' Melinda repeated, watching Conner's eyes grow fonder.

'Yeah…She sprained her ankle across the ground and I was helping her out, and we saw a nearby couple kissing. She asked why I wasn't doing things like that with someone instead of helping her. Then she made a pact with me, saying that she knew that one day I'd find the perfect person…I disagreed but she persisted.' Conner seemed like he was a million miles away. 'She sang that poem and said she'd recite it to me when I found the right person…'

'She says I Told You So, You Won't Find This Again…' Melinda recited, looking at him with compassion.

'Go on big brother, you promised…' Christine said as she watched Conner.

'She said 'you promised'' Melinda said, unsure of what she meant. Conner laughed. He leaned close to Melinda, wiping a stray lock of hair from her face.

'A promise is a promise…' He murmured with a smile. Melinda looked deep into his eyes.

'What was it?' Melinda asked.

'The pact, in return from her poem, I'd have to kiss the girl,' he replied, so close to Melinda that their foreheads almost touched.

'Well, that's easy,' Melinda laughed, she closed the rest of the gap between them and Conner gently pressed his lips against hers. The next few moments felt like a lifetime to Melinda as the two of them locked in each other's embrace. Christine laughed.

'I'll leave you guys to your privacy, besides, Mom's waiting, good luck Conner,' she whispered as she stepped forward and disappeared. A light, lukewarm breeze filled the room, encircling Melinda and Conner before fading. The two of them pulled back from each other, smiling. The door suddenly opened, causing them both to jump and break away from each other. They looked over to see Beth standing in the doorway.

'Mom!'


End file.
